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Thursday, October 31, 2013

My girls are turning into little crafters and so, on their own, they found some Pinterest inspiration and made these cute little glowing milk carton faces. I love Pinterest. And I love projects that the kids can do ALL BY THEMSELVES!

The faces were just drawn on with a Sharpie.

Cut a hole in the back of the carton to insert the (battery operated) candle.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

This is typical for us. Somewhere around late September the kids start asking when they can get their pumpkins. "Too early," I say. In early October it continues. "Still too early. We don't want them to rot before Halloween." Rewind 14 years. That's how long we lived in Atlanta. A place where pumpkins will actually rot and be filled with fire ants if put out on your front steps any more than, say, two hours before trick-or-treating. I keep forgetting. We're not in Atlanta anymore.

So this past Sunday, after church, we experienced what was perhaps our last gorgeous 50 degree day before snowfall. We packed up the kids and drove to the Apple Orchard where there are breathtaking, scenic fields filled with pumpkins just ripe for picking. Or so we thought.

When we arrived, we hiked through fragrant, picturesque rows of apple trees only to arrive upon lovely fall fields. With no pumpkins. The words Bad Mommy comes to mind. But we did buy apples and on our way home we stopped at our neighborhood grocery store where, guess what? They had plenty of perfectly good pumpkins. I guess they know their clientele......Me.

Sunday night was family movie night. Monday night was piano lessons. Tuesday night was 7th grade parent night at school. So here it is, Wednesday, the night before Halloween and we have yet to carve our pumpkins.

Fortunately, I had the foresight to pick up these amazing pumpkin carving tools from Target. I know, it doesn't seem like much, but it's these little things that make me happy.

This ring is a magical scooper. I just gutted four giant pumpkins during a single episode of Rachael Ray. It was truly amazing. All the pulp and goop comes right out. You'll never use a kitchen spoon again.

Forget your fancy knives. This little beauty is agile and carves through pumpkins in a flash.

They even come is this handy dandy storage case so you can use them again next year!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

I have a confessions to make. It's about my six-pack. My six-pack of canned pumpkin, that is. (Why? What did you think I was talking about?) It's almost gone and I'm thinking about going back to Costco and buying another one. Is that wrong?

These Chocolate Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are a perfect alternative to pie. And we all know that pie month is just around the corner! They start with an Oreo crust. And an Oreo crust, my friends, is a perfect reason to make just about anything! Simply pulse the entire package with some melted butter in a food processor.

Or if you don't have a food processor, like me (I know, it's shocking), simply put them in a gallon freezer ziploc bag and beat them into submission with a rolling pin. Either way works. It's all good.

Pat the Oreos into a parchment lined 9x13 baking pan. It just makes scooping out the pieces that much easier. Mix the filling mixture until creamy and smooth and pour it on top of the crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until set. It's creamy and delicious and tastes great just like it is, but go that extra step and add the caramel sauce. The sweet notes of the caramel give a lovely counterpoint to the dark chocolate crust

Simply add 2 tablespoons of milk to a bag of caramel nibs and microwave for 1 minute. Stir.

Continue to microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until you have a smooth and drippy sauce.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The kids had a couple days off of school last week and that meant one thing. Pancakes. Sleeping in and pancakes just go hand in hand, don't you think? The lofty aroma of pumpkin spice on the griddle draws even the teenage boy down from his gentle slumber. I love my baby boy. Which is why I made pumpkin pancakes.

Now, for the record, I'm all for scratch cooking. But there is nothing wrong with doctoring up a mix now and then. Perfectionist cooking can lead us astray. I mean, how many times have you intended to make this awesome, organic, nutritious meal only to resort to a frozen pizza when you notice that it's 6:30 PM and the kids are yelling, "Feed Me!"? Oh..... you haven't? Oh... OK, then...... Nevermind........

But do try these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

They make getting up on a cold, October morning just a little bit easier.

Monday, October 14, 2013

It's October, and that means Costco is selling cans of pumpkin by the six-pack.

Ahhh.... I love Costco. I mean, who doesn't need six cans of pumpkin?

And what could be better than scones and tea on a brisk, October day? My interpretation of the scone is that they are England's version of Southern Biscuits. But they're triangles. Not circles. (OK, they could be circles.) And they're served with hot tea. Not Iced Tea. And they're slightly sweeter. But not too sweet. And they are usually served between meals and hardly ever with gravy. Other than that, they are very similar.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together dry ingredients. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter. Mix together pumpkin and cream and incorporate into dry mixture until combined.

Press dough into an 8 inch square on a well-floured surface. If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour. The dough should be roughly 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough into 16 triangles. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool.

Cream Cheese Glaze:

In the microwave, soften 4 ounces of cream cheese for about 30 seconds. Add one cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons half and half until combined. Dip each scone into the cream cheese glaze until the top is coated.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

If there's one thing that I love about fall, it's soup. I love eating it. I love making it. I love the way it entices my kids to eat vegetables that would otherwise sit lonely and unloved on their plate. Soup melds flavors. Soup offers comfort. Soup warms the soul.

I was first introduced to Italian Wedding Soup when a southern neighbor brought over a pot of it shortly after the birth of my third child. Strangely, she wasn't Italian and no one was getting married.

The name, it turns out, is a mistranslation of the Italian phrase, "si sposono bene", meaning that two things are well married. The marriage of the greens and meat in clear broth is such a delightful combination that it was widely described as si sposono bene.

There are hundreds of variations on the recipe, but the soup usually contains greens such as spinach, escarole or broccoli rabe, meatballs, and tiny pasta in a chicken broth.

Here's my take with turkey meatballs (for the semi-vegetarian daughter) and fire-roasted tomatoes (because they really should go in everything!)

Start your soup with a mirepoix. That's a French word that typically means a mixture of carrots, onions and celery. I know. I felt like being fancy. Saute' your veggies until they are soft.

Next, add 2 quarts of chicken stock and, as long as we're being fancy, throw in 1/2 cup of white wine.

Heat up the liquid and toss in a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes.

Next, throw all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix. Use your hands. There's really no way around it.

Next, you have two options:

Type A-Person Option: Spend an hour and roll out an entire tray of mini meatballs and bake them in the oven. Remove them from the tray and add them to the soup.

About Me

I'm Rachel....Wife. Mom of four. Martha enthusiast. Jazz lover. Woman of Faith. Northern Belle. I believe that life should be lived deliberately, but not taken too seriously. Join me as I blog about the simple things that make life great.